Confronting wrench jaws each having normally aligned work-engaging sections pivotable to v-shape



Nov. 7, 1950 H N BQYER 2,528,814

CONFRONTING WRENCH JAWS EACH HAVING NORMALLY ALIGNED WORK-ENGAGINGSECTIONS PIVOTABLE T0 V-SHAPE Filed Feb. 12., 1.946

Hugh N. Boyer.-

INVENTOR.

I BY Attorney,

Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STA TES PATENT OFFICE CONFRONTING WRENCHJAWS EACH HAV- ING NORMALLY ALIGNED WORK-ENGAG-' ING SECTIONS PIVOTABLETO V-SHAPE Hugh N. Boyer, near Canfield, Ohio; Elizabeth M. Boyerexecutrix of said Hugh N. Boyer, de-

ceased Application February 12, 1946, Serial No. 647,138 3 Claims. (01.81 -91) -a movable jaw member, each of which have pivoted jaw sectionsaffixed thereto capable of moving into positions corresponding to thecontour of a work piece upon which they are positioned.

The pivoted jaw wrench shown and described herein has been designed toform an improved wrench structure capable of applying a more even degreeof holding pressure to a work piece, such as a pipe, by a plurality ofpivoted jaw sections which adapt themselves to the shape of the Workpiece and thereby distribute the force applied thereto to a greater areathereof and thereby insure a more positive grip thereon.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it

being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionherein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inven-' tion.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pipe wrench, a portion thereof beingbroken away.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the pipe wrench taken on line 22 ofFigure 1. v

Figure 3 is a cross sectional detailed elevation of a portion of thepipe wrench shown in Figure 2 and is taken on the line 3--3 thereof.

By referring to the drawings and Figure 1 in particular it will be seenthat a pipe wrench has been illustrated which includes a handle portionN3, the uppermost end of which is formed into a fixed jaw I I and isalso provided with a sidewardly extending loop portion I2, the loop ofwhich has positioned therein an adjustable jaw member I3. The shank ofthe adjustable jaw member I3 is indicated by the numeral I4 and isprovided with a plurality of oppositely disposed threaded sections I5 toenable the adjustable jaw I3 to be moved vertically with respect to thehandle I0, through the loop formed by the 2 loop member I2 thereof, andby reason of rotation of a milled, circular nut I6 threadably engagingthe threaded sections I5 of the shank I4. A secondary, sidewardlyextending projection I'I positions'the milled; circular nut itimmediately beneath the loop portion I2 of the wrench so that when themilled, circular nut I6 is rotated, as by manual movement thereof, thenet result is the Vertical travel of the adjustable jaw portion I3 withrespect to the handleportion IQ of the wrench.

The fixed jaw portion I I of the wrench is provided with a pair ofsimilarly formed, movable sections I8, the uppermost surfaces of whichare serrated, as indicated by the numeral I 9, and the lowermostportions of which are rounded, as indicated by the numeral 20. These twosections are pivotally aiiixed to the fixed jaw portion II of the wrenchby means of pivot members 2| and are normally-biased by semi-U-shapedspring members 22 so that their uppermost serrated edges form aparallel, axially extending line.

A similar construction will be found in oppositely disposed relationshipon the adjustable jaw I3 and comprises a pair of secondary jaw sections23 having their lowermost surfaces serrated, as indicated by thenumerals 24, and their uppermost surfaces rounded and partially cutaway, as indicated by the numerals 25, which will permit the secondaryjaw sections 23 to pivot with respect to the adjustable jaw IS on pivots26. Semi-U-shaped spring members 21 normally bias the secondary jawsections 23 so that their serrated work engaging surfaces form anaxially extending straight line.

By referring to Figure 2 of the drawings it will be seen that each ofthe pivoted jaw sections l8 and 23 are slotted, as indicated therein bythe numerals 28 and 29, respectively, to provide space for thepositioning of the semi-U-shaped springs 22 and 27, respectively. InFigure ?3 of the drawings a cross sectional elevation taken on line 33of Figure 2 illustrates in solid lines the semi-U-shaped spring members21 and more clearly illustrates the manner in which they are positionedabout the pivots 26 so as to hold the jaw sections 23 in alignment.

In using the. pipe wrench, including the pivoted jaw sections hereindisclosed, it has been found desirable to increase the clearance definedby the loop I2 ofthe wrench about the shank I4 of the adjustable jaw l3thereof so that the adjustable jaw is capable of a relatively greaterdegree of, movement by moving the lower end of the shank I4 toward thehandle I0 of the wrench than has heretofore been 1 the case in pipewrenches of adjustable jaw construction. The

increased width of the loop I2 is indicated by' dotted lines 30, and, asis customary in pipe wrench construction, the adjustable jaw 13 isnormally biased toward the fixed jaw l l by a V- shaped leaf springshown in dotted lines in Figure 1 and indicated by the numeral 31.

This construction, together with the angle of inclination of the lowerpivoted jaw member I8, permits the wrench to be positioned on a workpiece without rotating the milled, circular nut It. It will be seenthatwhen the pivoted jaw members l8 and 23 are on a work piecethey willadapt themselves to the contour of the'work piece and at the same timehold the wrench: at a precise right angle to the, axial shape of theworkpiece due to the self-centering of the pivoted jaws I8 iii) ventionalpipe wrenches heretofore known in the art, and thus enable an improvedwrench structure to be made available to the public at large.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1

1. In a pipe wrench including a handle having a fixed slotted jaw formedthereon and a slotted movable jaw adjustably positioned with respectthereto; said fixed and movable jaws lying in oppositely disposedrelation to one another and each having a center section thereof cutaway in a flattened V shape, work-engaging secondary jaw sectionspositionedv in engagement with the opposed slotted surfaces of the fixedjaw and the movable jaw, and pin means holding said secondary jawsections in position in said slots whereby said secondary jaw sectionsmay pivot from parallel end to end alignment when engaged on a flatworkpiece to oppositely disposed flattened V shape positions whenengaged on a workpiece positioned at right angles thereto.

2. In a pipe wrench including a handle having a fixed slotted jaw formedthereon and a slotted movable jaw adjustably positioned with respectiii) thereto; said-fixed and movablejaws lying in oppositely disposedrelation to one another and each having a center section thereof cutaway in a flattened V shape, work-engaging secondary jaw sectionspositioned in engagement with the opposed slotted surfaces of the fixedjaw and the movable jaw, and pin means holding said secondary jawsections in position in said slots whereby said secondary jaw sectionsmay pivot from parallel end to end alignment when engaged on a flatworkpiece to oppositely disposed flattened V shape positions whenengaged on a workpiece positioned at right angles thereto, each of saidsecondary jaw sections comprising a segment H T-shaped intransversesection with a work en gaging surface on the head of the T, there beingat least two secondary jaw sections in each sup porting slotted jawstructure.

3. In a pipe wrench having a slotted fixed jaw and handle and a slottedmovable jaw adjustably positioned thereon, said slotted jaws lying inoppositely disposed relation; work-engaging means positioned in theslotted jaws and in oppositely disposed relation, said work engagingmeans comprising pairs of members pivoted off center in said slotted jawstructures andpartially overlying the same, center sections of both ofthe slotted jaws being cut away so that the work engaging members maylie in parallel end to end position when engaged on a flat workpiece andin oppositely disposed angular relation to one another when engaged on"a round workpiece positioned transversely of said jaws, each of saidmembers comprising a segment T-shaped in transverse section with a workengaging surface on the head of the T.

' HUGH N. BOYER.

REFERENCES orrsn The following references are of record in the

